Hockey stick end buffer



Oct. 25, 1960 H. L. GARDNER EFAL 2,957,203

HOCKEY STICK END BUFFER Filed Aug. 13, 1957 INVENTORS. HARRIS l GARDNER AN -WILLIAM ARGEREU eviwmmilm ATTORNEY Unite tates Patent 2,957,208 HOCKEY STICK END BUFFER Harris L. Gardner, 108 Allen Ave., and William Argereu,

84 Ash Ave., both of Cranston, R.I., assignors of onethird to Willard Brownson MacKenzie, Cranston, RI.

Filed Aug. 13, 1957, Ser. No. 677,940 1 Claim. (or. 18-59) This invention relates to hockey sticks and more particularly to a covering or bufier for the end of the hockey stick.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a covering or buffer for the end of a hockey stick to serve as a means for cushioning the butt end to prevent injury to hockey players.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a covering for the end of a hockey stick which will improve the players grip on the stick.

And still another object of the present invention is to provide a useful, eflicient and inexpensive means for greatly reducing the number of accidents occurring to players while engaged in the sport of hockey.

Other objects of the present invention will be pointed out in part and become apparent in part in the following specification and claim.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the various figures.

Figure l is a perspective view of a hockey stick having a covering, end cap or butter made according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary enlarged front elevational view of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary enlarged side elevational view of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 3 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along line 55 of Figure 3 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawing, generally designates a hockey stick of conventional design of which 11 is the handle portion and 12 the blade; 13 generally designates the new and improved end bufier as attached to the end of the hockey stick handle.

The end buffer 13 is molded to the butt end of handle portion 11 and consists of a sleeve 14 terminating in a knob 15 which forms the bufier part. The thickness of the knob 15 is made thick enough and soft enough to suitably and sufliciently absorb any violent thrust or blow, thus forming an efiicient cushion, pad or buffer. By making the knob 15 wider than the sleeve 14, the buffer forms a knob which facilitates the holding of the stick in ones and.

As will presently appear, the sleeve '14 and the knob 15 are molded of the same material. However the sleeve is extremely hard while the knob is soft and spongy.

End buifer 13 may be fabricated and attached in several ways. In one contemplated form a two part mold is provided with ridges in its face corresponding to the ridge lines produced when friction tape is wrapped around the handle portion 11. The mold is opened. A strip of uncured rubber is laid on one face of the mold. The strip would have a shape or contour of one half of the end bufier 13. Namely, a knob portion 15 and a sleeve portion 14. The handle portion 11 is laid upon the strip of uncured rubber. A second strip of uncured rubber having the same shape as the first strip is laid upon the handle portion 11. The mold is closed with the 2,957,208 Patented Oct. 25, 1960 second face of the mold provided with ridges lying against the second strip of uncured rubber. The handle portion 11 and the sides of the two strips of uncured rubber may be provided with an adhesive. After the mold is closed it is subjected to three hundred degrees of temperature, Fahrenheit and between three and five tons of pressure for a duration of from three to three and one half minutes. There may be a little run off of the rubber strip in the mold at the sleeve portion. The sleeve portion 14 of the rubber strip is completely cured in the molding process. The knob portion 15 is only partially cured. This leaves blow holes in the knob portion which in elfect gives the knob 15 the physical properties of sponge rubber while the sleeve 14 is physically hard and provided with ridges 16 having a spacing equivalent to the width of friction tape now in common use by hockey players who tape the end butt of handle portion 11.

The uncured strip of rubber at the sleeve portion may be (.060) sixty thousandths of an inch when placed in the mold. The molding process will reduce this thickness to (.030) thirty thousandths of an inch due to heat, pressure and run oif. The knob portion may be an inch and a quarter square across the top and an inch and a quarter long with a recess approximately one half inch deep to accommodate the butt end of handle portion 11.

Handle portion 11 is provided with one or more deep grooves 17 into which the uncured rubber will be forced by heat and pressure and from any run ofi which may occur in the partial curing of the knob 15. The result is that deep grooves 17 anchor end buflfer 13 to handle portion 11 in addition to the adhesive if and when an adhesive is used.

The uncured strip of rubber may consist of vinyl rubber, vinyl plastic synthetic or natural rubber.

It is also contemplated that strips of cord or tape fabricated from nylon, fiberglas, cotton or the like may be wound around the handle portion 11 to provide ridges, if a plain faced mold is employed instead of a ridged face mold.

After the two part mold is open, the hockey stick shown in Figure l is removed and is provided with a permanently attached end bufier 13 having ridges 16.

Having shown and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention, by way of example, it should be realized that structural changes could be made and other examples given without departing from either the spirit or scope of this invention.

What we claim is:

A method for applying an end buffer to the handle portion of a hockey stick which comprises the steps of placing strips of uncured rubber shaped with a sleeve portion and a knob portion in a mold, one said strip at either side of said handle portion as it is inserted in the mold, applying adhesive on both sides of the handle portion and on both sides of said uncured sleeve portion of said rubber strips, then closing the mold and subjecting the enclosed rubber strips, adhesive, sleeve, knob and handle portion to approximately three hundred degrees of heat Fahrenheit and to approximately four tons of pressure for a duration of approximately three minutes of time, to cure the sleeve portion and to partially cure the knob portion, to fix the sleeve portions to the handle portion and to leave the knob portion soft and spongy.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,443,596 Schaefer Jan. 30, 1923 1,459,144 Davenport et a1 June 19, 1923 1,687,736 Root Oct. 16, 1938 2,236,414 Reach Mar. 25, 1941 2,446,622 Turner Aug. 10, 1948 

